Northern Ballet Theatre.

Sadler's Wells Theatre London, England March 12-22, 2003

It seems apt that Yorkshire's resident dance company, Northern Ballet Theatre, should present Wuthering Heights, that region's most famous classic Gothic saga, which made its London debut this March. To experience firsthand the bleakness and desolation of the moors described in Emily Bronte's novel, choreographer-director David Nixon took his dancers out on them for a day, an experiment that worked.

Wuthering Heights recounts the all-consuming passion between Heathcliff and Cathy, a love that breeds jealousy, revenge, and tragedy--excellent ingredients for a ballet. Nixon closely follows Bronte's text with concise, action-packed, tear-jerking scenes, proving again that he is a good ballet storyteller. (His 2002 Madame Butterfly for NBT won several national dance award nominations.) He also worked closely with Claude-Michel Schonberg, (composer of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon), who created an original score for the ballet that conjures up the multilayered emotions of the characters and the haunting beauty of the moors.

Nixon's spare set gave the dancers space to move forcefully and speedily. A lone oak silhouetted against a dark, expansive, stormy sky contrasted with the elegant prettiness and tranquillity of the Linton's country garden. Ornamental box trees, graceful guests, and courteous servants showed Cathy a life beyond her isolated home. But when Edgar offered her an escape to his richer life, she tried, unsuccessfully, to relinquish the past and her all-absorbing love for Heathcliff. THERE WAS HARDLY A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE WHEN, AFTER MEETING HEATHCLIFF ON THE MOORS ONE LAST TIME, CATHY SUCCUMBED TO A CHILL, AND, IN TRUE MELODRAMATIC MODE, DIED IN HIS ARMS.

Nixon tested his leading dancers' stamina throughout, giving them Soviet-style, floor-devouring leaps, and exciting, high, one-handed lifts. Jonathan Ollivier, in black leather pants and long, dark curls, was memorable as the tormented Heathcliff. The sheer physical thrust of his movements and his brooding, magnetic presence commanded the stage. The love scenes were hot-blooded, while his restlessness in Cathy's absence was convincing. Charlotte Talbot brought out Cathy's headstrong and passionate nature. A strong dancer, she performed many complicated moves with grace and poise. Hironao Takahashi, as Edgar, complemented Ollivier's force and roughness with refined and elongated (though expressionless) poses, while Desire Samaai, as his sister Isabella, was a zealous flirt.

While Wuthering Heights may not be a choreographic masterpiece, it is an attractive and compelling crowd-pleaser, which is exactly what NBT needs.